OLO – Accessible Smartphone 3D Printing

OLO is the perfect introduction to 3D printing for everyone. For $99 dollars over on Kickstarter, you can turn your smartphone into a 3D printer. Check out their introduction video for an explanation of how it works.

Kickstarter

The way OLO works is remarkably simple: Load up the 3D file on your smartphone, then place the OLO 3D printer on top. It creates a chamber that uses the light from your phone to harden the 3D printing material.

Currently, Olo only works with a smartphone. After its amazing success, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it support, or be developed for, other devices.

I’m always in need of custom board game pieces, and having something small, compact, and portable like this would mean I can swap out any broken pieces I have, or replace ones that have broken long ago. Being able to print larger items with just as much simplicity would be equally fantastic.

Resin

OLO uses its own resin (printing material) to ensure owners get safe, high quality prints.

Unused resin can be filtered of printed material and poured back into its bottle for reuse.

These bottles will be available for $15.

OLO App

A free Android and iOS app will be available for use with OLO that will currently support obj, stl, and ply file types. The app will also allow you to set your uploaded designs as

Private: For your eyes only

Group: Only those with permission may access your design

Public: Available for anyone’s use

Revenue: Users must pay to print your design

OLO seems like a cost-effective gateway into 3D printing. It’s small, well designed, and looks to be supported by a large ecosystem of owners. I can’t wait to see what people design, now that this kind of technology is becoming more widespread. Go grab one now! Head over to their Kickstarter Page to find out more.

About the author

Matt Carter

Matt became a member of the Goopply team in 2015 and is our Senior Editor. While most of his duties entail making sure articles are edited properly, he also contributes content on things he finds personally interesting. In his time away from work, Matt enjoys card games, including designing his own, as well as birds and cats.